It's all about perversity

Isn't Zhang Yimou a clever clever man? It just shows that if you're intelligent enough, you actually can present melodramatic farce in your film to a fantastic end. You'd think only the middle-brow amongst us would walk out without feeling either pleased, sobbing, or smiling. Of course it helps if you still understand how to convincingly present spectacle. Though I'm convinced that Zhang Ziyi's appeal (sexual and otherwise) is in seeing her looking frustrated. But yes, if you want to see sexual charge, the film is also, in that regard, breathtaking.